White Snow and Black Rain
by SkywalkerT-65
Summary: The night before Rukia is taken back to the Soul Society, Ichigo gets an unexpected visitor, in an unexpected place. The beautiful woman tells him the snowy city is his inner world? And that she is his friends Zanpakuto? Obviously Ichigo thinks this is crazy. So does everyone else. No one has any idea how wrong they will be. (REBOOT FUN TIMES)
1. Chapter 1

_Ichigo…Ichigo…can you hear my voice?_

The soft voice that whispered in his ear awoke Ichigo Kurosaki from a restless slumber. A voice he had never heard in his life, nor recognized in the slightest. Strange as the voice was, the teenager also wasn't expecting was to see nothing in front of him but a blinding snow-storm. Naturally, of course. He lived in the middle of Japan, and last he saw it was a clear, starless night outside his window.

A window that was conspicuously absent. Along with his bed. The rest of his room. His entire _house_. You know, everything he expected to have around him.

"What the hell?" Ichigo blurted out, scrambling to his feet in a panic. Where the hell was he?

The moment he stood up, the teen nearly went sliding off of…a window? A window that was underneath him. Did Rukia stick him on a building somewhere in the mountains? Perhaps, more importantly, how was he standing on a building _sideways_? Then there was the fact that despite all the snow raging around him, he didn't feel cold. If anything, what should have been biting wind felt like, well, a blanket. A warm blanket of snow.

Ichigo surreptitiously pinched himself, after glancing around to see if anyone was looking at him.

 _Oww!_

Nope, not dreaming then. Glumly rubbing his arm, the teenager sighed heavily, and decided to figure out where he was.

Being very careful to avoid falling over, Ichigo turned around in a circle. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but blinding snow and shadowy shapes of skyscrapers in the distance. He was starting to wonder if this was some messed up nightmare. Or if he was going insane.

 _Note to self…tell Yuzu not to make that curry again…_ the Substitute Shinigami mused to himself, rationalizing it as his sisters normally excellent cooking hitting a bump and giving him a weird dream.

Made as much sense as anything else, really. Better than somehow finding himself on a sideways building in a city that he didn't know. Because _that_ would just be crazy, even in the life he now lived-

"It isn't a dream Ichigo," that soft, melodious, voice rang in his ear again. From everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Ichigo spun around, skidding on the ice despite his best efforts. It was a miracle he avoided falling face first on the window. It was only after recovering, that he looked up to see the most stunningly beautiful woman in the world. At least, that he had seen. The woman had long pale hair, with part of it tied up in a bun on the back of her head. Her clothing was simple, nothing more than a pale blue kimono. Now, Ichigo was a teenage boy. He knew what pretty girls looked like. This woman? Beautiful was the _only_ word that came to mind, even if he tended to not care about that kind of thing.

Even with an elegant hand concealing her mouth, as it looked like she was barely concealing laughter. Naturally.

"Who are you?" Ichigo shouted at the woman. A vein ticked on his forehead, as he settled for annoyance over confusion. "Stop laughing, damnit!"

The woman removed her hand, revealing a gleaming smile directed at an irate teenager.

"I apologize, but how you reacted was quite entertaining. As to who I am? Why, I am *****," the woman explained, though it seemed like earmuffs had been placed on Ichigo's ears when she said her name. Wait, what?

The teen tilted his head to the side, "Eh? I didn't catch your name."

The woman looked a bit downcast on hearing that, and the snow picked up a bit, "I suppose I shouldn't have expected you to. After all, this is not truly my home."

Looking warily at the snow that seemed to follow the woman's emotions, Ichigo frowned. And stared at the strange woman, his brown eyes narrowing in thought.

"This isn't your home? Then what the hell is it?"

The woman sighed slightly, before carefully sitting down. Ichigo hesitantly followed suit and found that the snow piled around him didn't melt. Just like the storm, it felt nice against his body despite all logic saying it shouldn't. Keeping his attention on the woman, Ichigo awaited some sort of explanation for where exactly he was.

For her part, the woman seemed to wear a small smile as she started to talk, "I know you don't recognize where we are Ichigo. But this place, this cityscape, should be more familiar to you than to me. This is your Inner World, the deepest part of your soul."

Uhhhhh. _What_.

Ichigo sent a flat look of disbelief at the woman, "Eh?"

"I know you're smarter than that Ichigo. Does this seem like any dream you've had before? And if it did, why is it so familiar to you? Look…really look…at the city. Tell me what you feel."

Electing to ignore the jab at his intelligence, Ichigo still thought this was some crazy dream. However, he did what the woman said anyway. He stood back up and returned his gaze back into the raging snowstorm. At first, it just looked the same as before, nothing but a raging mass of white with shadowy buildings. However, as Ichigo looked at it, he started to see it in a different light.

He felt at home here, and it seemed extremely familiar to him, though by all rights it shouldn't. And he wasn't even sure _why_ it felt so familiar to him. It felt almost like—it sounded stupid, damnit. But he felt more at home than he had felt anywhere, since his mother died.

"It _does_ feel familiar, like I've been here before," Ichigo grumbled, turning back to the woman. "Assuming this really is inside my soul…who are you? And how are you here?"

At first the woman didn't answer. She just stood up and raised a hand. Before her captive audience could raise a question, the woman swung her hand down.

Appearing from the snow, as if formed by it, was a sword. It was a standard, if small, katana with a square guard and a red grip. A completely average katana in most respects, yet, strangely familiar. Hauntingly familiar.

"Hold up! That's Rukia's Zanpakutō!" Scrambling to his feet, the orange-haired teenager stuck a finger out at the woman. His eyes had gone wide with surprise and a little shock.

The woman smiled again, "I'm glad you recognize the bladem Ichigo. However, it isn't proper to call a lady by her job description."

"Now what are you blabbering about?"

"This blade is not Rukia Kuchiki's Zanpakutō. I am," the woman continued, as if it was obvious. She held up a hand before Ichigo could say anything, "All Zanpakutō are an extension of the wielders soul. We have unique names, and manifest in different ways. That is why you could not hear my name. I am not your Zanpakutō. Though I will admit I was hoping you would be able to hear it, with how long I have been in here."

"Not _my_ Zanpakutō? I have one?" Ichigo asked. He was assuming, for now, that the woman was telling the truth and he wasn't just dreaming this up.

Even if that didn't make the _slightest_ sense to him. He wasn't a Shinigami, he was a human. Why in the world would he have a Zanpakutō of his own?

"Yes. He is still sleeping, just as most of your own power is," the woman used her free hand to idly roll a lock of hair. She seemed as uncomfortable as Ichigo himself was, with this situation. "All that Rukia and I did, was awaken your own powers Ichigo. It is only a matter of time until they fully awaken and push me out."

If Ichigo didn't know better, he would say the woman looked sad at that idea. Which would be odd, wouldn't it? If she was really, somehow, _Rukia's_ Zanpakutō? He would think she would want to go back. Hell, he wouldn't want to be living in Rukia's head. Or soul. Or whatever the hell was going on.

It was, with that thought in mind, that the teen climbed to his feet. His feet carried through the thick snow, as he walked over to the woman. Her eyes, so light blue they might as well have been lavender, followed every movement he made.

"You don't seem happy about that," Ichigo pointed out, coming to a stop right in front of her.

"I'm surprised you can read my emotions so well, Ichigo," the woman wore a faint smile. She didn't look happy to talk about this. "But the truth of the matter is I am so lonely in Rukia's inner world. Ever since Kaien Shiba, her former Lieutenant, died...she hasn't spent time with me."

The woman sighed and looked away from Ichigo. Her gaze trailed over the blizzard-shrouded buildings. Her entire body shrunk in a little, when she looked at them. As if she knew she didn't belong, and yet, she didn't want to move from her spot.

"She blames herself for his death, though I will not betray her trust and tell you why. Suffice to say, she finds it difficult to talk to me after what happened."

Ichigo could relate to that, at least, to wanting to be alone. Damnit, he could even relate to the idea of blaming oneself for a death. It sounded like how he had acted when his mother had died. _Exactly_ like that.

Though if he hadn't heard it straight from Rukia's Zanpakutō, he wouldn't have believed it. After all, it was hard to relate the energetic midget he knew with a depressed loner like he had been after his mother's death.

"You know, I never saw her act like that." Ichigo snorted. Wasn't that an understatement. "So, why are you here instead of-"

With all the suddenness of a winter storm, the snow picked up and drowned out Ichigo's words. He was buffeted by wind and frozen water, nearly being thrown off the building if not for the woman grabbing his arm.

Her sad face staring at his own, with a crooked half-smile across it.

"It would appear our time is up. I have a warning for you Ichigo…defeating the Menos will get Soul Society's attention. They will send someone for Rukia. You must be prepared for that, if you care for my wielder at all," the woman stared at him, her lavender eyes narrowed. Accusingly.

Ichigo wanted to scream out a response to that-even as everything faded to black around him.

* * *

"GOOOOODDD MORNING ICHIGOOOO!" Isshin Kurosaki yelled, flying into his son's room, feet first.

It was the normal morning in the Kurosaki household. He would ambush his son and attack him, to train Ichigo for MORTAL COMBAT. Or, if you asked him directly, as a sign of fatherly affection. After all, it was what his father and his father before him had done. It was family _bonding,_ not assault!

Or so Isshin would tell anyone who asked.

What he _wasn't_ expecting was Ichigo already up, casually opening the window and watching as his father flew outside. Shaking his head slightly, the teen set about getting ready for school. He easily toned out his father's shouts of 'what a cruel son!', thinking more on his dream instead. Despite everything, he wasn't entirely convinced it was real. And not just a fever dream from all the stress he put up with since a certain someone, poking out of his closet, showed up.

"Your father should know better by now," Rukia commented lightly, her voice dryer than the driest desert.

The petite Shinigami was standing outside the door of his closet, giving Ichigo an odd look. It was clear she could tell something was on his mind. But the question was, should Ichigo tell her he had a midnight conversation with the spirit of her sword, in his own soul?

"Hey Rukia," deciding that he might as well try, Ichigo scratched the back of his head. And asked the obvious question. "Do you Shinigami name your swords?"

Rukia gave him an even odder look, "We don't name them. They are born with their names. Why do you ask?"

Ichigo shrugged, "Just curious. Some cultures name their swords, so I was wondering if you did the same."

At least he thought so? Ichigo wasn't the most widely read person, if it wasn't Shakespeare. Lucky for him that Rukia wasn't either. He still remembered her stupid manga addiction, when she was using the excuse of 'learning modern language'

 _God, even_ I _knew that was bullshit. Like what I just said.  
_

That aside, Rukia looked distinctly skeptical of his excuse. Her violet eyes were narrowed in confusion. There was a question on her lips.

However, she brushed it off. Rukia shook her head, walking right past Ichigo. And jumped out the window, without another word. For his part, Ichigo sighed and looked out the window she had just jumped through. Ignoring how his father somehow _hadn't_ seen her do that.

Rukia had just confirmed at least part of what he had experienced. The next most-obvious-question was simple. How much of it was real, and how much a dream?

" _Not a dream Ichigo,"_ that now-familiar voice rang in his ear again.

With his head snapping up so fast he heard a _crack_ , Ichigo did the only thing that occurred to him.

Shout out at the world, "You can still talk to me?!"

" _Barely…I don't have the strength to do it for long. I would suggest you_ think _your words, however. It is simpler than explaining who you are talking to."_ The woman replied, sounding slightly labored in doing so. As if it was painful for her.

Ichigo's ever present scowl got a bit deeper, both out of frustration and concern. Frustration that the woman made him sound like an idiot, concern that she sounded so weak.

" _You sure you're okay? You sound weak,"_ Ichigo 'thought' back at her. Concern won out, like it always did with him.

" _Like I said, it takes a lot of energy to talk to you like this. Do not worry about me. Just keep an eye out for Shinigami. They will come for Rukia,"_ the woman's words were solemn, despite the obvious pain. She was more like him than he thought, being more worried for Rukia than herself.

There she went with that warning again. If Rukia's own sword was this considered about it, Ichigo was going to take the warning seriously. As such, while he packed his stuff, he made sure to go looking for Kon. The Mod-Soul protested at being popped out of his body, but Ichigo didn't have time for that.

 _Do I ever? Little pervert just complains about everything._

Once he had pocketed the pill, Ichigo set out for school. He resolved to keep an eye on the sky and watch out for anything unusual, though. The last thing he wanted was to get caught off-guard.

* * *

Despite his worries, the day ended up going about the same as ever for Ichigo, though he noticed that Rukia was just as warily watching the skies as he was. It seemed like she didn't notice him doing it though, which showed that her Zanpakutō knew what it was talking about. Hm.

That didn't mean Ichigo wasn't going to try and get something out of the midget, though. He just waited until the two of them were alone after class, the sun setting behind them.

"Ichigo…I…" Rukia started, before stopping and fidgeting with her bag.

Ichigo couldn't have known it, but Rukia was far more concerned with his safety than she ever was with her own. It was a mixture of who he resembled and the bond they had shared over these months. She knew that she could never stay. Equally, she knew that if Ichigo were ever found, he would be killed without hesitation.

She refused to let that happen.

"Don't worry about it Rukia, I'll protect you like always," Ichigo just smirked at her, and held his hand up in a clenched fist. "Like hell I'm letting anyone hurt my friends."

What Rukia wanted didn't matter to Ichigo Kurosaki. And if the way she shot her head up was any indication, he had hit the nail on the head with his words. Stupid self-sacrificing Shinigami. It was about time _he_ protected _her_ instead of the other way around.

"Wha?" Rukia was quite eloquent, all things considered.

Ichigo just shrugged in response, "I can only assume that the Big Guy yesterday wasn't a normal thing. If your home has anyone with brains up there, they're probably sending someone to take you back."

Rukia gaped at him, before her jaw clamped shut and she shook her head. There was a fond bemusement to her actions. "You are likely right Ichigo…but how did you guess that? And I won't let you try and stop them."

Even though she knew he would try anyway.

"Lucky guess?" The orange-head tried, but only got a frown in response. Sighing, Ichigo ran a hand through his spiky hair. "It makes sense. I doubt giving me your powers was a good thing, and taking Big Guy down probably drew a lot of attention on me. And what makes you think I'll just let them take you Rukia? Without even trying to explain _why_ you had to give me your powers?"

Rukia looked ready to argue, but just sighed instead. She knew better than to try and convince Ichigo otherwise. She would just have to be stealthier in her plan to sneak out of his house that night.

"Fine, we'll do this your way Ichigo," Rukia said, setting off for the Kurosaki Clinic. Already, her mind was coming up with plans to distract and escape. Luckily, she had Isshin Kurosaki as a tool to use. Or maybe the twins, or even Kon…

Not knowing what was going on in his friend's head, Ichigo warily followed her. He _did_ know that had been too easy, but he was just going to have to keep a close eye on Rukia now. Why did he even bother…right, he had a 'protecting people' thing.

And Ichigo had seen enough pain in his life. He would never, ever, in a million years…abandon a friend.

* * *

Despite Ichigo's best efforts to keep an eye on the sky, and despite Rukia knowing that it was coming, neither of them would notice a light in the sky. While Rukia plotted to escape and Ichigo tried to fend off his idiot of a father, two men stepped out of the light and into the air. Men dressed in black, with katanas firmly strapped to their waists.

One was tall with spiky red hair held up in an oddly shaped pony-tail. His face covered in black tattoos that swirled from his brow, down into the collar of his uniform. The other was equally tall, though his hair was straight and black and his face unmarred.

Both looked to be on a mission, as the redhead pulled out a piece of paper and unfurled it. His brown eyes scanned the paper, a frown crossing his face.

"Capture mission. Take Rukia Kuchiki of Squad 13, dead or alive," the Shinigami read with more than a little annoyance in his voice. "Seems a bit harsh to me."

His companion said nothing, and merely stood in place. The redhead sighed slightly, before joining his Captain. The two of them would wait until Rukia showed herself, which she was bound to do at some point. Both knew the young Kuchiki better than anyone, and they knew it was only a matter of time till she ran from whatever human had taken her powers.

It was in her noble blood after all. Consorting with a human. It was inconceivable. She would come running back to the Soul Society the moment she sensed the pair. They were sure of it.

* * *

"Rukia! I swear, I leave her alone for 15 goddamn minutes while I take a shower and she runs off on me…" Ichigo complained to himself as he ran along in his soul-form. His eyes were wildly scanning for any sign of black hair or purple eyes. "Rukia!"

Ichigo didn't know when exactly Rukia had left, or how she had snuck out without him _or_ her Zanpakutō noticing. All he did know was that he had to find her before her comrades did. Or he would probably never see her again, and her Zanpakutō had made quite clear that was A. Bad. Thing.

All capital letters completely necessary.

" _Ichigo…I don't know what will happen if we are separated from Rukia for an extended period. Your power continues to grow, yet it is highly unstable with me in here. It is entirely possible that either it absorbs me, or I absorb it and become_ your _Zanpakutō. We cannot let that happen,"_ the woman reminded him. Her voice was even further strained, by fear or pain, Ichigo couldn't tell.

" _I know…trust me,"_ Ichigo replied, speeding up his running pace. Damnit, where did that little annoyance go? He needed her!

After running for a few more minutes, even Ichigo's rather horrid sensory abilities began to pick up something in front of him. Quickly ducking out of sight, he saw a tall Shinigami, taller even than Ichigo himself. The man was standing in front of Rukia with a cocky smirk on his tattooed face. Said girl was holding her arm, and Ichigo could see blood dripping through her fingers and down her face. That made him angrier than he had been expecting.

No one, and he meant that, hurt his friends. It didn't matter if it was Chad, Inoue, Ishida- grudging as he was to consider the Quincy a 'friend' -or Rukia. Perhaps especially Rukia, since she had no way to defend herself right now.

Of course, it was _nothing_ compared to what his friend's Zanpakutō was thinking.

" _Renji Abarai. How dare you hurt Rukia…"_ the woman's voice had gone cold. Colder than ice.

Shaking his head slightly, Ichigo asked the obvious question, _"You know him?"_

Even if he couldn't see her, Ichigo could feel the struggle that the woman went through to calm herself, _"That is Renji Abarai. He was Rukia's best friend for years. This must be some karmic joke, making him be the one to take Rukia in._ "

Ichigo frowned at that, but he knew that he couldn't let Renji just take Rukia. However, he had been so focused on Rukia, that he didn't notice Uryuu laying on the ground in a pool of blood. When he _did_ notice, Ichigo saw Renji raise his blade to bring it down on the helpless Quincy.

 _No you don't! If anyone is killing that asshole, it's me!_ _After I beat him up for being stupid again!_

The redhead never had the chance though, as Ichigo brought his own supersized Zanpakutō down on the ground where Renji had been standing. A sizeable crater was put into the sidewalk from that blow.

Renji had dodged, however, and was now sitting on a fence staring curiously at Ichigo.

"A Shinigami? What Squad are you from kid?" Renji asked, assuming Ichigo was from his own people, attack or no attack. Maybe he had wanted the kill on that brat with the bow. Though he had better have a damn good explanation for being there.

Ichigo just stood up and balanced his…no _Rukia's_ …blade on his shoulders, "I'm not from one of your Squads. Not that I would want to be either, Abarai, if they make you attack your best friend like that."

Both Renji _and_ Rukia shot shocked looks at Ichigo at that sentence. Renji for abundantly obvious reasons, Rukia because she couldn't believe her ears. She had never told Ichigo about Renji. Why would she? So, how could he know about him?

"You know me eh Carrot Top? If you aren't a member of the Gotei 13…" Renji's smirk turned downright predatory, his narrowed eyes going between Rukia and Ichigo. "You must be the human who stole Rukia's powers. Explains that monster of a Zanpakutō you're using too."

"After all, only a novice would let their power leak out that much."

Ichigo's eye twitched, and the woman's twitched in unison inside his inner world. _"I'm just going to guess I'm using you, right now?"_

 _"You are correct, Ichigo. Please, show him how displeased I am."_

While there is a saying that there is nothing worse than a woman scorned, neither Ichigo nor the blade would react in time. Renji was already on top of Ichigo, swinging his standard sized katana at a speed that Ichigo was hard-pressed to match. The most he could do was bring his oversized blade up and use its sheer size to keep Renji from hitting any parts of his body.

Eventually the redhead jumped back, and Ichigo saw this as an opening. He swung his blade forward, but instead of hitting Renji, the redhead flipped over Ichigo's head. His silver blade little more than a blur as it carved into the teens shoulder.

Ichigo collapsed to his knees, putting a hand to the bleeding wound. His entire body was screaming in pain. He'd never—never been cut by a sword like that. Why did it hurt so much…?

As for Renji, he stood up slowly behind Ichigo, not even winded. And still wearing that same, maddening smirk. "Honestly kid, not only is your sword ridiculously oversized, you don't even know how to use the thing. You could never hope to touch a true Shinigami lik…"

Before Renji could finish, he felt a sharp pain on his chin. When he reached a hand up, his fingers touched blood.

Across from him, Ichigo stood up with a pain filled grin on his face. He was still holding his shoulder with one hand, but the other hand was gripping the Zanpakutō in it, a small amount of blood on the blade. His body was screaming in protest and his hand couldn't move from his shoulder. It did little to stop his grin.

 _Proper Shinigami my ass._

"I'm sorry, you were saying something about not being able to touch you?" Ichigo cockily shot back at the redhead, who was now glaring angrily at him.

"Why you lit…" Renji started to move forward, before a man that Ichigo hadn't noticed until now interrupted him.

Turning his head, Ichigo saw a tall man with long black hair. He didn't recognize him. Not his face, or the scarf around his neck, or even the ridiculous hairpiece in his bangs. Rukia's Zanpakutō certainly did. He felt actual… _fear_ …from her for the first time.

 _"Hey, Zanpakutō, you know him too?"_

" _Byakuya Kuchiki…why would they send him too?"_ the woman seemed to not hear his question, the fear filling her voice almost overwhelming. It was enough to take Ichigo's mind off the pain in his shoulder.

He honestly didn't know what to say to that, until the man's last name registered, _"Wait…_ Kuchiki _? He's related to Rukia?"_

The woman nodded even if Ichigo couldn't see it, _"Her adoptive brother…it is thanks to him that Rukia is in the Kuchiki Clan in the first place. But why would they send both him and Renji to take her back? Were they hoping that she would willingly go back with her best friend and brother as escorts?"_

Ichigo was going to reply, only for Renji to steal his attention again.

"Hey, carrot top! What's the name of your Zanpakutō ?!" the redhead shouted. "I want to know if you even know that much, before I kill you."

"I don't know. I'm using Rukia's Zanpakutō, not my own," Ichigo ground out, getting thoroughly pissed off now.

It was bad enough that he kept flinging insults. That Rukia's best friend and her brother had tried to kill her? That _really_ got under his skin.

If Renji noticed Ichigo saying he had his own, it was pushed under anger at the rest of Ichigo's sentence, "Not only do you take her power…but you took her Zanpakutō?" Renji's grip on his own blade grew so tight that blood flowed down his arm. "Not only that, but you have the _nerve_ of using it against us? Well then. Let me show you _my_ blade. Roar, Zabimaru!"

With that shout, Renji's standard katana started to glow a bright red, morphing its shape. Where it had once been an average blade, it was now a segmented monstrosity, aiming right at Ichigo. Spikes protruded along the blade, each wickedly sharp and gleaming in the moonlight.

Before Ichigo could do much more than gape in shock and register the panicked cry from Rukia's blade, Renji was already in the air.

"Time to die, human!"

Ichigo brought his blade up, expecting to block a downward swing from his enemy. Renji was not that stupid. Instead, he swung his blade forward, the weapon splitting into bladed segments. Ichigo wasn't expecting this, despite how Zabimaru looked, and the segments carved into his uninjured shoulder. Sparks flew from where the two Zanpakutō collided with each other-joined by spurts of red blood.

The substitute felt sharp, rending pain, as the blade tore through his shoulder. His blade clattered to the ground, before the teen himself fell to his knees. He was in complete shock, both mentally and physically. No Hollow short of Grand Fisher had ever defeated him so effortlessly. And even the monster that had murdered his mother had more trouble than this.

As Ichigo tried to regain his wits, Renji began to taunt him again, "Told you that you never stood a chance kid. A Zanpakutō changes according to the power of its wielder. How do you like mine?"

Ichigo didn't answer of course, if he was even capable of answering at this point. Rukia though, was staring in dismay at her two friends. One she had known almost her whole life, but had attacked her, Uryuu, and now Ichigo. Leaving all of them with various degrees of injuries. And the other…who had saved her life on more occasions then she cared to count. And had been hurt trying to save her once again.

 _Ichigo…thank you for at least trying. But I_ won't _let you kill yourself trying to save me. Run, Ichigo._

" _Run!_ " Rukia shouted, jumping onto Renji's arm, hoping against hope that she was distracting the redhead.

"What are you doing Rukia?! You're just making things worse!" Renji complained, shaking his arm in an attempt to throw his friend off. She was going to get herself killed doing this, if she didn't stop trying to protect the bastard who got her in this situation in the first place!

"Run, Ichigo, run far away from here!" Rukia shouted again, trying to talk some sense into Ichigo.

Yet, Ichigo heard neither of them. He heard nothing except for roaring wind and felt nothing except snow on his face.

* * *

"I'm back in here?" the teen asked, seeing that he was on the building again.

"Yes you are Ichigo. I am sorry I couldn't do more to help you _,"_ the woman's soft voice spoke. Her body faded into view out of the blizzard, a sad smile on her beautiful face.

Ichigo turned around and gave her a serious look, "Don't blame yourself. I wasn't expecting his Zanpakutō to do that. But shouldn't I be dead? I was in the middle of a fight!"

The woman merely shook her head, "Nonetheless, I should have been able to do more." An ever so slight smile crossed her face, with her next words. "And you needn't worry. Time in here is not the same as the outside world, a decade could pass and no more than a minute would be seen outside."

"Well _that's_ a relief." Ichigo let out a relieved sigh, as he felt his aching shoulders. Evidently wounds carried over.

"Ichigo."

Turning her gaze down to the side of the building, the woman's hands fisted in her kimono. Ichigo got the feeling she wasn't normally like this. So vulnerable and desperate. It didn't seem to fit someone so…elegant and calm.

"I can attempt to tell you my name again. But if you hear it…I have no idea what will happen." Her voice quaked with something, fear or worry, he couldn't tell. Her grip on her kimono grew ever tighter and shakier. "I may become bonded to your soul and overtake your own Zanpakutō, essentially killing him in his sleep. Or I may destroy your soul's balance…and the Soul King only knows what that would do."

Lavender eyes rose up and stared directly into Ichigo's brown. If he wasn't already in his Inner World, he would say she was staring into his soul. She was deathly serious. Not a hint of humor or any levity in her voice.

"Do you want to take the risk? My power is enough to defeat Renji. However, I do not know what it will do to you."

Ichigo thought over what she had said. The risk to his body and soul were immense. There was no denying that fact. However, he couldn't bring himself to care. He knew he was dead anyway if he couldn't defeat Renji, and so was Rukia. What point was there in not at least trying? He was dead either way. As such, with a fierce scowl etched on his face, Ichigo looked into the lavender eyes of the woman in front of him.

"Do it," he said curtly, his words carrying over the sudden rush of snow all around.

The woman nodded just as curtly, "My name is…"

* * *

While Ichigo was having this internal discussion, Renji had finally managed to throw Rukia off his arm. He turned to Ichigo, just in time to see the teen pick up his discarded blade. Renji let a feral grin onto his face at that. He loved the thrill of battle, and it looked like Ichigo wasn't out for the count quite yet.

Maybe Captain Zaraki would have gotten a kick out of fighting this brat, if he had been a true-blood Shinigami.

"Looks like you still have some fight in you after all kid. Good. It's no fun slaughtering a helpless enemy. Come at me, and die with your blade swinging," Renji taunted, raising Zabimaru. "At least then, I won't feel like I'm butchering a helpless lamb."

However, so wrapped up in his arrogance and annoyance as he was, Renji didn't hear the word Ichigo spoke under his breath. Rukia, by contrast, heard it quite clearly. And she let out a gasp of shock at what her friend spoke. Impossible!

Not showing any sign of hearing Renji, Ichigo was surrounded by white energy. It slowly consumed his body, flying in ribbons around him. As if it were smoke, it poured in rivulets from the blade in his hand. A blade that was almost blinding, to stare towards. Pure _energy_ surrounded it.

"Dance," Ichigo spoke softly, so softly it was almost a whisper, as the flares of white reiatsu flashed around his body. Tangling in brilliant streams of light that pushed Renji back slightly with the sheer force of energy. Ichigo's eyes snapped up, brown replaced by brilliant silver and a fierce scowl upon his lips as he shouted the fateful name. "Sode no Shirayuki!"

When the light cleared, Ichigo was no longer holding the oversized katana that had become so familiar to Rukia. Instead, it was an even more familiar blade. A snow-white sword, with an elegant tsuba and a long ribbon floating from the pommel. A sword that no one there, save for Ichigo himself, could possibly mistake as anything else. How could they? This sword was, if nothing else, well-known for its beauty.

It was her Shikai.

The only difference was the length of the blade, and the ribbon. The blade was nearly the length of Ichigo's old sword, and the ribbon wrapped around his arm instead of floating free. Small changes in the grand scheme of things.

Renji looked between Ichigo and Rukia, seemingly at a loss as to what was happening. His cocky attitude had faded in the face of something that should be, was, impossible. Zanpakutō didn't change owners like that. He couldn't even comprehend what was going on, his eyes snapping between his friend and the brat wielding her weapon. He-

"Watch yourself, asshole!"

That was until Ichigo launched at him anyway. Renji barely brought Zabimaru up in time to block the fierce attack. And faster than he could follow, Ichigo shot past him. This time, Renji wasn't able to block.

He felt the icy bite of Sode no Shirayuki cutting through his shoulder and spun around trying to track Ichigo despite that. The brat was _fast_. The teen was moving at a speed that even Renji would be hard pressed to match, _without_ his limiter. Where had this power come from?!

"What's the matter Renji? Can't keep up anymore?" Ichigo was the one flinging the taunts this time, "I thought you were _oh so superior_ to me!"

With that shout, Ichigo lunched forward and swung Sode no Shirayuki up towards Renji's face. The redhead barely managed to intersect his own blade in time, and the impact of the blow knocked him back. When Renji finally skidded to a halt, his mask shattered, leaving a bloody scrape where it had cracked. The pure force behind Ichigo's blow had knocked Zabmiaru into Renji's face, shattering the mask.

And Ichigo wasn't finished either, as he jumped up above Renji, ready to make a finishing blow.

"It's over Renji!" Ichigo shouted, Renji not being able to move under the crushing power of Ichigo's insane energy.

Yet, instead of cutting into Renji, Ichigo ended up holding a stump of the white blade he had been using. Accompanying that was a mental scream of pain from Sode no Shirayuki. Ichigo fell to the ground, staring dumbly at Renji and the blade in his hand. The redhead hadn't moved. He was just as dumbstruck. How...?

 _What just happened? I didn't see-_

Looking around to figure out what had happened, Ichigo saw Byakuya Kuchiki holding half of the elegant white blade in his hand. A spiderweb of cracks spread from the bottom of the metal. And from the stump held in the teenager's hand.

"What? How did he do that…without even…" Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes. The man hadn't moved from his spot. Yet, he held half of Sode no Shirayuki in his hand. _What in the world is he?_

Ichigo, still in shock, saw Byakuya drop the shattered blade and move towards his own weapon. The teenager spun around fully, determined to fight even with the stump of a blade in his hands. Sode no Shirayuki, shattered or not, came up in a defensive posture. He couldn't back down. He wouldn't back down.

And then Byakuya vanished from sight. Or...at least from Ichigo's sight.

Sode no Shirayuki could only watch, fighting her own pain, as the Captain brought the flat of his sword down on Ichigo's head. The stubborn Substitute finally fell, darkness claiming his vision…

 _-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

Standing above the unconscious boy, Byakuya Kuchiki sheathed his Zanpakutō. This boy. What he had done was impossible. Even as Sode no Shirayuki melted back into a shattered, and normal sized, katana. Even as his gaze moved from the boy, to where his sister stood, her hand over her mouth. This boy had not taken her powers by force.

Had he done so, his sister would not have been by his side for so long. Rukia would never have felt so much plainly obvious guilt over her actions. Nor would she be in such pain from the boy's wounds. No. This boy had likely done nothing wrong, beyond being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

 _Yet, it is impossible to deny what he has done._

Were it as simple as the boy stealing her powers and using a nameless blade, Byakuya would have been content with removing his stolen powers and leaving him to live or die on his own merits. He was merciful, and respectful of his sister. He would not kill someone she cared about. It was not that simple. This boy had taken her powers and made them his own.

Removing the source of his spiritual energy may have destroyed Rukia's powers. It would certainly have damaged them.

"Tell me, Rukia." Byakuya's smooth, emotionless, voice rang out. "Did this boy force you to give him your powers? Did he steal them?"

Seemingly shaken from her stupor, Rukia looked up at her brother. "No! Ichigo was...he was in the wrong place. I was unable to defeat the Hollow, and the only choice was to give him a portion of my powers. That he took so much was—"

"Hmph."

Byakuya didn't need to hear anything else. This boy had no control of what he had done. If he had forced himself on Rukia in any way, her Zanpakutō would never have allowed him to learn its name. Furthermore, he had only acted to defend Rukia and the foolish Quincy boy. He had not attacked for the sake of combat, like Zaraki. He had not acted with the intention of killing. Only to defend.

 _I_ see.

This boy resembled Kaien Shiba in more than just his outward appearance. As such, Byakuya had only one option to hand.

"Renji." Byakuya turned to his Vice Captain, the redhead nursing his wounds. Wounds that should never have occurred.

"Sir?" Renji snapped to attention, Zabimaru returning to a sealed state and its sheath.

Byakuya merely gestured to the unconscious substitute. "Bring the boy with us. His fate will be decided in the Soul Society. And we will discover just what he has done, to use Rukia's Zanpakutō as he has."

It would not be an understatement, to say that Byakuya Kuchiki had no idea of what he had just done, by choosing to spare this boy.

* * *

 **AN: Welcome back? Third time is the charm? I-have-no-idea-how-people-will-feel-about-this?  
**

 **Yeah, all of that fits.**

 **In the process of realizing that _Snow_ was on the potential chopping block over on a friend's SV thread, I decided to go back to it and- at least -clean up the old chapters and bring it to my current standard. Part of me thought about going a step beyond that alone, and continuing the fic. It was only in the process of cleaning up this chapter (and you will note that, despite about 2k words of new content, it's still the same chapter at the core) that I realized something.**

 **The last three years since _Snow_ updated, I've been working a lot on Kantai Collection fics. In point of fact, my main fic there can be said to remain my main focus. And SV is where I post most things these days. _However_. Those three years? Those KC fics? They've broken me of my worst old habits, staying so close to the stations of canon the most glaring one. Between the three years of development in writing (which is also why I'm not updating _Snow_ , because it's been so long most people will have forgotten the plot) and a glance at Ron's WSR reboot that goes into Byakuya's thoughts...**

 **Brings us here. Byakuya, in seeing what Ichigo has done, deciding to go a step beyond just reporting it to the other Captains. He brings him back.**

 **Everything gets thrown out of whack by this, to say the least. Some stations of canon remain thanks to Aizen, but otherwise...expect the plot to go off the rails in short order.**

 **Assuming, of course, anyone reads this. I don't know what to expect in that regard. I'm hoping to see a decent amount of reviews, though! More of those I see, the more confident I'll feel that this was good choice to make, at the least.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _Owwww. What truck hit me and where do I get their number?_

Cliche it may have been, Ichigo Kurosaki awoke to a blinding pain in his head. Like someone had...clubbed him over the head. Damnit.

Groaning in a mix of pain and frustration, the teenager rolled over onto his side. It had been going so _well_ too, until Rukia's brother showed up. He hadn't even seen the man move, before he heard the Zanpakutō scream in pain. Seen his white blade shattered into pieces. So casual. Like the man wasn't even trying.

Not even an ounce of real effort and all the training he had done, all the fighting he had done, was pointless.

 _"That was not your fault, Ichigo. If it was anyone's fault, the fault was my own. I...I…"_

As the voice trailed off in his head, the young teenager snorted softly. When had he become _used_ to the idea of a woman talking in his head? Ah, whatever. More importantly…

 _"Don't blame yourself. I was an idiot back there. Besides, we beat that pineapple up real good, didn't we?"_ Ichigo couldn't help but smirk past the ringing in his head, at the image of Renji Abarai so thoroughly defeated.

It had felt good, after what the bastard did to Rukia and Uryuu.

Somehow, he got the feeling that Sode no Shirayuki was smiling. _"You are correct, Ichigo. It did feel...enjoyable."_

 _"Hell yeah, it did."_

Unable to keep the smirk off his face, the Substitute opened his brown eyes. All he saw in front of him was a plain white wall. A very, very plain wall. Well. That wasn't any help at all. Rolling over again, Ichigo blinked when his eyes moved from a white wall, to a man dressed in white.

White over black.

With stupid _things_ in his hair.

 _"Byakuya Kuchiki."_ Sode no Shirayuki whispered in his mind, as if he could forget. That man had taken him apart so easily...how could he forget?

"I see you are awake," the Shinigami spoke, his voice soft as velvet. Deep too, for his pretty boy looks. "I have to congratulate you, boy. Even though he was limited, you were able to press my Lieutenant."

Ichigo just stared, working his jaw slowly. He wasn't expecting that. "Come again?"

Kuchiki's expression didn't even twitch, though Ichigo got the feeling he was smirking somehow. "Few humans would be able to do that, boy. Even fewer would survive the process of becoming a Substitute. Illegal as that process may be."

"It's not like we had a choice."

There hadn't been much of an option. It was do or die.

For what it was worth, Kuchiki did not dispute the point. He merely inclined his head slightly, and rose to his feet. Damnit, even _that_ was graceful. All smooth movements and easy gestures. The tall man strode over to a window looking out of the room, staring up at what seemed to be cherry blossoms falling past it.

"Rukia informed me of that." Kuchiki seemed to be talking to himself, not even bothering to look back at the teenager on the bed. "I know my sister, boy. She would never lie about such an important event. However, I find my hands tied."

Turning his head slightly, the Shinigami narrowed his grey eyes. Even if his voice remained smooth and toneless, it didn't take a genius to tell the man was angry.

"What she has done is considered a grave offense by the Soul Society. It may well lead to her execution."

Ichigo returned the stare, even as his mental 'voice' rose up against it. And towards the Zanpakutō living in his head. _"...is he telling the truth? What kind of fucked up law is that?"_

Sode no Shirayuki was silent. When she did reply, her voice was subdued and quiet.

 _"I...he is telling the truth. You must understand, Ichigo. Giving powers to a human breaks every spiritual law there is. Humans are not supposed to be involved in the afterlife while they still live. The Quincy…"_

 _"God, forget the Quincy."_ Ichigo was still a _bit_ sore about Uryuu. And the reminder that the Shinigami had basically wiped out an entire race just because they wouldn't listen. He didn't need to hear it again. _"It's totally different. I'm using Shinigami powers, aren't I? That doesn't mess with the balance of souls or whatever it was."_

 _"No. However, the laws are in place for a very good reason. If humans are casually given po-"_

The Zanpakutō was cut off, as Kuchiki turned fully from the window and stared at his prisoner. His expression remained stubbornly the same, even while he walked over towards Ichigo. Said teenager stared back, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling. Which was about the usual for him, of course, but it was the principle of the matter.

He didn't have to be happy about being stuck...wherever it was that they stuck him.

"Think what you want about me. I have, and will always, follow the law." Kuchiki returned Ichigo's scowl by simply raising an eyebrow. Nothing more. "If Rukia is to be executed, I will follow the law even then."

"You bas-" Ichigo uncrossed his arms, and started to rise to his feet.

Only for a _pressure_ to fall on him. Kuchiki had only lifted a single hand, and Ichigo felt as if someone was pushing down on him. A giant crushing him beneath its foot. An ant looking up at a human. He couldn't even raise his head from the bed it had been pushed into. How was he-?

Kuchiki's voice had turned cold as ice, when he spoke again. "I do not expect you to understand, boy. _However_. You are in a position that may change the result. I have brought you here, so that you may testify in Rukia's defense. So that we may discover just how you have come across the ability to use her Shikai."

Dropping his hand, and releasing the _pressure_ on the teen, Kuchiki actually _sighed_. He looked away from Ichigo, and moved his eyes towards the wall instead. As if he couldn't look.

"What you have done is unprecedented. Impossible. Until we know more, you must remain here. You are fortunate, in a way." Kuchiki continued to move, spinning on his heel and moving towards a door that Ichigo only now could see. "For if you were not _unique_ , it is likely you would die as well."

Kuchiki seemed to have nothing to say, continuing to march towards the door. Ichigo watched him go, sucking in deep breaths, until the man was gone.

Letting out a groan of mixed pain and annoyance, the teen rolled onto his back and stared up at the dimly lit ceiling. What in the world was he going to do now? He couldn't just leave. Even if he wanted to, he wasn't about to leave Rukia behind. How could he? Her own _goddamn_ brother was willing to kill her.

What kind of messed up hellhole was the Soul Society, where an older brother would kill a younger sister?

 _"Ichigo…"_ Sode no Shirayuki began, only for the teenager to cut her off.

 _"Don't. I don't care what his reasons are. If I have to beat it into his head, I will."_ Ichigo glared at the roof, clenching his hand in the fabric by his side. Nothing made him more angry than this. Nothing. _"I'm not going to let him get away with that. A brother protects their sister, they don't kill them."_

Ruki...no, _his_ Zanpakutō was silent.

* * *

"The meeting is called to order." An elderly man, bowed with age, stomped his cane into the floor. "Captain Kuchiki, you may begin."

It would be a fool who looked at that man and judged him by his appearance. Captain Yamamoto of Squad One was, perhaps, the most powerful being in existence. At least, that anyone would ever see. Age may have bowed him, but it had not _lamed_ him. If the Head Captain felt like it, he could kill every single other Captain without effort. Or so the tales went.

Byakuya Kuchiki, young by the standards of a Captain, had never seen Yamamoto release his power. He hoped he never did, deep down where none could see his thoughts. Not even his own Zanpakutō.

"As you wish," still, he inclined his head slightly. Respect was given where earned. And none doubted this man deserved respect. "As I am sure you are all aware, my Lieutenant and I were assigned to retrieve my wayward sister from the World of the Living."

A snort came from the usual source. Zaraki, sticking a finger inside his ear. His scarred and brutalized visage twisted in disinterest.

At least he kept silent.

"The mission was routine, until the boy used a most unusual power." It did not stop Byakuya from glaring at the other Captain, though it did exactly no good. Inwardly sighing, he turned his gaze back to the Head Captain. "It is well known that a Substitute's powers and abilities are not their own, but those of the Shinigami who gifted them their abilities. However, they have never demonstrated an ability to truly _control_ those powers."

The first to pick up on what he was saying was unexpected. Captain Aizen, pushing his glasses up his face slightly, as his brown eyes widened in shock. "You can't be serious, Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya inclined his head again, "I am quite serious. The boy, a human using borrowed abilities, has somehow learned the name of my sister Rukia's Zanpakutō. He has used her Shikai in battle."

There were no gasps of shock. Not even the youngest of the Captains would do that. However, there were other signs of shock. From slight fluctuations in power, to narrowing or widening of eyes. Even the Head Captain was not immune, his grip tightening ever so slightly upon his own blade, hidden inside the cane in his hands.

"This boy...he used Rukia's Zanpakutō?" Jushiro Ukitake was the first to speak up. Unsurprising, as he was Rukia's Captain. "You are certain?"

"I would recognize Sode no Shirayuki, no matter who it is using her blade."

Murmurs responded to that, before Captain Kurosutchi leaned forward. His painted face was grinning ear to ear, and his eyes were practically _dripping_ with desire. Byakuya did not need to fight down a shudder. He was used to this man, and his...flaws.

"That is _fascinating_. Is the boy still alive? I can learn _so much_ from such a unique specimen," Kurosutchi was practically rubbing his hands in glee. Even if the boy did not possess Rukia's Zanpakutō, Byakuya would never allow this man near him. Or anyone.

"Yes. However, I have taken him under the protection of the Kuchiki Clan, for the duration of Rukia's trial." Byakuya easily ignored the disappointment flashing across his fellow Captain's face. Rather more important was the widening of Ukitake's eyes. "I intend to question the boy, and learn how he has used her Shikai. As well as understand what drove Rukia to give him her powers."

Silence greeted his words. It was understandable, in a way. He was not the type to bring someone who had harmed his family into his protection. Far more likely he would merely kill the boy.

However.

 _The boy saved Rukia's life. And I cannot risk the loss of her Zanpakutō, by attempting to remove it from his soul. I have little other choice._

"Ya know...if I didn't know better, I'd say you're gettin' _soft_ , Kuchiki." Gin Ichimaru grinned over at Byakuya, tilting his head like the snake he so resembled. "So, do ya think the kid actually knows anything?"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow, "If not the boy, then Sode no Shirayuki."

Murmurs again. Sajin Kommamura, face hidden as always, the most vocal. "He must be punished."

"If he didn't steal Rukia's powers, what right do we have to punish him?" Ukitake, soft-hearted, protested that. Even though it was his subordinate in trouble. "He is human, first and foremost. It likely wasn't even his fault."

Shunsui Kyoraku nodded along with his friend, "Can't say I disagree. Old Man Yama, what do you think? Aren't we supposed to just remove his powers and let him go?"

Yamamoto had been silent up to that point. His eyes looking at the floor, clearly deep in thought. He didn't even react to the raw display of insubordination that was using that nickname. Then again, expecting Kyoraku to do anything else was a lost cause.

When it became clear that the Head Captain was not going to say anything, however, Captain Aizen stepped forward again. His kindly features staring over at Byakuya with what looked like _pity_ in his brown eyes.

"I understand why you have done this, Captain Kuchiki. Would it be at all possible for me to meet the boy myself?" Aizen smiled gently, idly brushing his hair back a little. The man couldn't look angry if he tried. "I am curious about him."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes anyway, "Not until I have questioned him myself. I hardly desire the boy to get ideas about convincing another Captain to help him."

That statement was clearly directed at Aizen _and_ Ukitake. Neither man had it in them to look affronted, of course. Aizen merely shook his head sadly, and stepped back into his spot in the line.

"If that's what you want." He replied, without any bite to his words.

With silence once again falling on the Captain meeting, the Head Captain finally looked up from the floor. His eyes met those around him, all of the Captains deferring to him.

Even Byakuya. The power of the Kuchiki Clan was mighty. Yet, all bowed to the Head Captain. If he chose to take the boy, there was realistically little that Byakuya could do about it. Even as the head of the most powerful Noble Family in the Soul Society. It was just how the land was run, and there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it.

"The boy will not be punished, as of now." Yamamoto's deep voice rumbled over the meeting room, as his eyes settled on Byakuya. "Captain Kuchiki, you may interview the boy at your leisure. However, I will be seeing him myself. If this boy is another Kūgo Ginjō…"

The Head Captain didn't need to finish his sentence. Every single Captain flinched slightly, and turned away. Lost in their own thoughts.

The first Substitute. Byakuya did not need to hear that name. If the boy had been the same as that man, he would have killed him on the spot. Yet...he was not. All indications said that the boy had never intended to take Rukia's powers. That, alone, was enough for him.

"I understand, Head Captain." Even so, he inclined his head, and acquiesced to Yamamoto's request. He could not, would not, refuse it. "I will prepare for your arrival, whenever you choose to come."

"Hmph!" Yamamoto nodded back, and stomped his staff on the floor again. "This meeting is adjourned."

The other Captains took that as a signal to filter out. Most returned to their own Squads. Some went to train or patrol. Byakuya Kuchiki?

He went to where his sister was being held. He would ask her about the boy, before he returned to question him. He found himself…

Curious.

* * *

In the World of the Living, things were not nearly so calm. An otherwise unassuming little shack was wracked with confusion, as a man paced back and forth so much he may have put a groove into his wooden floor. He had been planning events for well over a decade. Sure, he had adjusted those plans. He hadn't expected them to go as they had, in some ways.

What had happened the previous night, however, was far... _far_...from what he had wanted.

 _I never expected Kuchiki to do that. I never expected Ichigo to use another Zanpakutō. I want to kill him, but I also want to study him._

The man, one Kisuke Urahara, grumbled under his breath. The scientist inside him was jumping at the chance to study something so unusual as Ichigo Kurosaki. The warrior inside him was chomping at the bit, screaming that he had to _personally_ go to the Soul Society and drag that idiot out, and damn the consequences.

His logical side was stomping both of them into the ground.

"Breathe...breathe…" Urahara stopped moving, and looked down at his hands. Right. "This may not be a bad thing. Ichigo needs every power he can get, and I can't deny having two Zanpakutō is powerful."

Assuming he could use both of his blades. Who even knew at this point?

"I need to get him out and away from Aizen, though. If Aizen gets ahold of him…"

It didn't bear mentioning. Aizen was a bastard, through and through, and would use Ichigo for his own purposes. Not that Urahara wasn't doing the same thing, but he was at least doing it to help. Aizen would just do it to make himself more powerful.

He shuddered at the thought of Aizen figuring out a way to steal a Zanpakutō or something on those lines.

"What are you _doing_ , Kisuke?" A male voice spoke up, with a distinctly feminine tone to its annoyance.

Urahara spun around, grin crossing his pale face, "Ah! Yoruichi! I was wondering when you would get here."

A black cat stared up at him, judgmentally, "You called me here, Kisuke. When I was about to talk to those kids you wanted me to train."

"Details." Urahara waved his fan, before growing somber. "Yoruichi...we may have to do a _bit_ more than we planned."

"...what did you do now, you fool?" The cat was certainly judging him now, jumping up on the table to stare into his eyes.

"Nothing _I_ did!" The ex-Captain protested weakly. He didn't even bother turning it into a joke, when he looked at his oldest friend. "You knew Byakuya Kuchiki, right?"

Yoruichi nodded slowly, "I did."

"So...why would he take Ichigo alive, back to the Soul Society?"

If it were possible for a cat to sigh, Urahara got the feeling his old friend would do it. He also got the feeling of pain that was her claws scratching across his face, prompting him to yelp in pain and fall away from the table.

It was their game.

It took nothing away from how serious the situation was, when they started to figure out just what the _hell_ they were going to do to recover from this...

* * *

 **Apologies for the delay. Work has been kicking me up and down the block, and writing has been...kinda low on the priority list. That said, I'm adjusting. Hopefully it won't take as long for the next one.**

 **I will say, though, that if you expect my old 4, 5, 6, 7k chapters? Not likely. I tend to write what _fits_ now, instead of word padding. So 2500-3k words is much more my average. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ichigo Kurosaki was never, ever, comfortable with sitting around. He may have given off the appearance in class, sometimes. His hair and general 'delinquent' looks didn't help. It made it look like he didn't care, that he was fine with not doing anything. Just sitting around and ignoring everything around him. It was his own fault. Yet...none of that really mattered. What he looked like wasn't what he _was_.

"Goddamnit, this sucks."

He absolutely hated having to sit around, doing nothing. He itched to get up and move around. To jog or to fight. Much as he hated the responsibility that Rukia had thrust on him- _at first_ -he had enjoyed the chance to get out. There was something about running around as a Shinigami that just felt _right_ to him. And now, he couldn't do any of that. He was stuck in a silent room, with nothing to do and no one to talk to. No one, except for the sword in his head.

Which, honestly, was probably why he was sitting on the side of a skyscraper, covered in snow.

"You know, Shirayuki," Ichigo spoke up, unconsciously shortening the Zanpakutō's name. He looked over at the woman, standing with her back to him. "I'm pretty sure the mountains are new."

Sode no Shirayuki twitched, ever so slightly. Her melodious voice echoed in a deep sigh, though she kept her face hidden. "Ichigo...when you called my name, you realize what it meant, yes?"

"That you'd become my Zanpakutō and that I'd lose my own, yeah." Ichigo shrugged. He had known, honestly, since the moment he first met her. Something at the back of his mind, itching and asking to be released. She had just put it into words. "I'm guessing that's why this place looks different? Not that it wasn't freaky to begin with."

"Oh, Ichigo," A small laugh echoed over the snowy building. In the distance, mountains had overtaken many of its brothers. Mountains capped by ice and snow. "Only _you_ would make light of this situation, in such a way. This is not something that happens. It never _has_ happened."

Ichigo shrugged again, "So I'm a freak."

That, more than anything, finally prompted Sode no Shirayuki to turn around. Her pale features twisted into a frown, and her icy-blue eyes narrowed. If the wind picked up a little more, and snow drifted down upon them, neither Zanpakutō nor Shinigami commented upon it. Sode no Shirayuki was too busy glaring at Ichigo, really.

"You are not a _freak_ , Ichigo." Her soft voice practically radiated with the coldness of her words. "If anything, you are a very special individual. I would not have so easily told my name to anyone else."

"Did you really have a choice?"

The Zanpakutō sighed, softly. "There is always a choice. I know Byakuya Kuchiki. He would not have killed you, nor allowed Abarai to do so. If I had kept silent, at worst, you would have lost your powers and I would have returned to Rukia."

Silence. Ichigo stared at the Zanpakutō spirit, and she stared at him. Nothing, save for the rushing wind, made a noise. They both waited for the other to say something. It was only a matter of a minute, or so, though it felt like an eternity.

Until Ichigo finally broke the silence, his scowl firmly in place. "Then why'd you talk to me? Why didn't you just go back to Rukia?"

"I-" Sode no Shirayuki turned her eyes away, looking anywhere but at Ichigo's face. Her words were much weaker, now. "You must understand, Ichigo. For a Zanpakutō, there is nothing more important than being _used_. We exist to help our wielders. To fight by their sides, and protect them, as they protect us. You...you understood that. You always fought to protect." Weakly shaking her head, the Zanpakutō spirit still refused to look up. "Rukia was my wielder. She was the other half of my _soul_. And..."

Turning her eyes back up, Sode no Shirayuki showed Ichigo the wetness held within. Already turning to crystals of ice, upon her frozen face.

"Rukia stopped using me. She fought with Kido. She only fought with my sealed form,as a last resort. She refused to use my Shikai. I...I do not blame her, yet, that is the greatest betrayal a Shinigami can give to their Zanpakutō."

Ichigo frowned deeply. He crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded along with her words. "So. You came to me because I actually used you?"

"It is not that simple," the Zanpakutō protested.

Her words fell on deaf ears. For Ichigo just walked over to her, somehow not slipping once on the ice or snow. He stopped right in front of Sode no Shirayuki, looking directly into her eyes. His lips twisted into his customary scowl, as much as into a frown. His fists were by his side, clenching as if they were holding onto a blade. _Her_ blade. He truly did care about her, didn't he? It was a...strange feeling. Rukia had always been proud of her, before-before Shiba. That pride had never quite translated into _care_ , however. Ichigo was more unique than he knew.

Even in this world of silent buildings and cold mountains, Sode no Shirayuki felt _warmth_.

"This is about that Shiba guy again, isn't it?" Ichigo spoke up, his voice clipped with annoyance. One of his hands reaching up to brush through his orange locks. "Rukia killed him with you, right?"

 _Ah. Yes, I did tell him about that. And Ichigo has proven very perceptive._

So, with a nod, Sode no Shirayuki acknowledged his point. "Yes. Rukia has, ever since, been _afraid_ of me. Afraid of my blade and my power. It is why she did not use me against the Hollow that nearly killed your family."

"Figured." Ichigo snorted, shaking his head. "I was wondering why she didn't, now that I know about you." Staring at her eyes, once again, Ichigo frowned. "You know, I don't _blame_ you for any of this. I don't even care about _my_ Zanpakutō."

On the one hand, such a casual dismissal of what _should_ have been his powers worried Sode no Shirayuki. On the other hand, it warmed her cold heart. Because it wasn't Ichigo dismissing his own powers as worthless. It was Ichigo reaffirming that _she_ was what mattered to him. Not his own blade. Not even Rukia. _Her_.

"Ichigo, you are a very strange boy." Sode no Shirayuki couldn't help the smile, crossing her face. "Do you _truly_ feel that way about me? Am I truly your Zanpakutō now?"

For the first time, Ichigo's scowl faded into a confident smirk. He stuck his hand out, holding it before the Zanpakutō. "You're _my_ Zanpakutō now, Shirayuki. I promise I'll treat you like you deserve, and we'll be partners. Yeah?"

Sode no Shirayuki looked down at the hand, and back at Ichigo's face. With a smile of pure gratitude on her face, she took his hand. "Thank you, Ichigo. Truly, you do not understand what this means to me."

"It's no big deal. We're in this together, aren't we?" Ichigo shot back, smirk firmly in place as he strongly shook her hand.

"Together?" Sode no Shirayuki's own smile widened. She took advantage of Ichigo's grip, to pull him flush against her body.

Fighting back a little giggle of laughter at the panicked- and red-faced -look he sent her way, Sode no Shirayuki held him close. Her other hand reaching down to grab his waist, holding the flustered teenager against her. If they were going to work together...

"Ichigo. I cannot claim to know what the power of your Zanpakutō would have been." Sode no Shirayuki leaned down, her breath ghosting over Ichigo's ear. Frost covered his skin and mist spread out from her breath. All around the pair, snow began to fall with greater strength and the world contracted to the two of them, standing upon a frosted window. "However, to use my power, you must learn to _dance_."

"Dance? What the hell kind of-"

The Zanpakutō tightened her grip, warningly. "I am not a cudgel, Ichigo. I am an elegant weapon. If you truly, really, intend to be my partner? You must learn to _dance_ with me."

To his credit, the teenager stopped trying to protest. His face remained hot and red, but he allowed Sode no Shirayuki to guide him. The Zanpakutō didn't even try to hide her radiant smile, as she looked up at the cloudy sky. She could get used to the buildings, intruding on her calming mountains and valleys. She could even get used to the calloused hands, holding her own. To the idea of having a man wield her.

For the first time in _decades_ , Sode no Shirayuki felt at peace. At home. Loved.

* * *

For the first time in decades, Rukia Kuchiki was truly alone.

She sat in a small cell, deep in her Brother's barracks. Completely isolated from any contact with the outside world. All she could see was a little light from the barred window, and the occasional visit from a youthful Shinigami of the Fourth Squad. He wasn't talkative, nor was she. Rukia didn't much feel like talking to someone she didn't know. Not when the one she should have known the best, a part of her very _soul_ , had left her. Left her and joined Ichigo instead.

 _Ichigo is my friend. I hurt him dearly, yet, I still consider him that. Even so...this hurts._

No matter what she may have felt for Ichigo, no matter how much of a friend he was, Rukia felt hurt. Betrayed. Sode no Shirayuki was part of her. And she had chosen to stay with Ichigo. She had told Ichigo her name. Let him use her Shikai. That should have been impossible, and yet, here she was. Completely alone.

"Rukia."

Until, that is, her Brother's smooth voice rang out. Rukia turned tired, deadened, violet eyes in his direction. Byakuya stood tall, his Haori swishing around his shoulders. The Captain had an inscrutable expression upon his face. Even Rukia, his sister, could never truly read his emotions. Not when Byakuya was trying to hide them.

"Brother?" Rukia knew her voice was every bit as weak as she felt, when she spoke up. She couldn't do anything about it. "Has something changed?"

Byakuya strode towards her cell, his motions as smooth as silk. He came to a stop, before Rukia, and stared down at her with his dark eyes. "No, nothing has been decided. As of now, you are to remain in this cell, until such time as Central 46 decides your fate."

"Of course, Brother." The short girl sighed, softly. She hadn't really expected anything else-

"However," Byakuya's, now deeper, voice drew her attention once more. His face remained expressionless, despite his slight change in voice. "I believe that your _unique_ circumstances may allow me to push for leniency. Tell me, Rukia. Why did you give that boy your powers?"

 _Unique...circumstances?_ Even as she thought that, Rukia knew what her brother meant. She felt her shoulders droop. _Ah. Sode no Shirayuki._

"I was on patrol, Brother, when I felt an immense power. It was stronger than any Hollow I have ever faced, and I went to investigate." Rukia, despite everything, couldn't help the smile on her face. The memory of Ichigo's reaction to her appearing in his room. "I met Ichigo there. I didn't realize, at the time, that _he_ was the source of the power. Not until the Hollow appeared and he broke my Kido binding attempting to fight it himself."

All her brother did was stare at her, and incline his head slightly in a non-verbal request to continue. Rukia sucked in a steadying breath, and did so. It wasn't as if this story would hurt anything, beyond her pride and the lingering- barely scabbed over -pain of losing her Zanpakutō.

"The fool tried to sacrifice himself to the Hollow, since he thought it would make it leave his family alone. I-I had to jump in to protect him. The Hollow nearly killed me." Unconsciously, Rukia reached a hand up to rub at her shoulder. The wound was long since gone, though phantom pain never quite left. "At that point, the only choice I had was to transfer _some_ of my power to him. Ichigo was powerful enough to not be killed by it, and it was that or we all died. I only intended to give him a _portion_ of my power."

It was at that point, that Byakuya spoke again. His voice was smooth as ever, even with the undercurrent of disappointment barely hidden beneath it. "You underestimated his strength, and he absorbed more than intended. Am I correct?"

Rukia winced, softly. "Yes, Brother. He took most of my power." Even as she said that, Rukia's eyes widened. She flung her hands up, more energy in her body than there had been for some time. "Though it wasn't intentional! It was an accident!"

She nearly panicked, when she added that last bit on. No matter what she felt about Sode no Shirayuki and her Zanpakutō abandoning her for Ichigo...she didn't want either of them to die. Ichigo was the closet thing she'd had to a true friend, since Renji had left and Kaien had died. She would never, ever, stop feeling guilt if he died for _her_ mistakes. Even if she died in turn, she would go to the grave filled with guilt. She, selfishly, didn't want that. She, selflessly, didn't want Ichigo to die for _her_. No. She'd had more than enough of people dying for her mistakes.

A flash of Kaien Shiba's bloody, disintegrating, face flashed before her eyes.

"Such is what the boy told me," Byakuya, mercifully, forced her mind away from that particular memory. He had crossed his arms over his chest, his imperious gaze looking down upon his sister. "If nothing else, the two of you tell the same tale. Should I believe, then, that all of this...was an accident?"

"It _was_ ," Rukia wished her voice was stronger. That it hadn't come out almost as a plaintive whine. Because, the fact was, it all _had_ been an accident. "...maybe."

"Maybe?" Byakuya repeated, softly.

Rukia couldn't look him in the face. She figured he already knew what she had meant, anyway. Everything _had_ been an accident. Everything...except, maybe, Sode no Shirayuki leaving her.

"Brother, why are you asking all of this?" In an effort to avoid thinking of that, Rukia looked at her Brother and asked the obvious question. "Are you going to talk to Central 46 yourself?"

Byakuya nodded, easily. His long hair shifted with the motion, covering how his lips thinned in distaste. "I had intended to do so, yes. As the Head of the Kuchiki Clan, it is my duty to inform Central 46 of everything to do with a member of the Clan. For a crime such as this, it is highly important that I provide all the information they could require."

 _Crime. I knew it was one, even when I suggested it to Ichigo. I...I can't believe that saving his life was a crime._

Shaking her head, Rukia pushed that thought away. It did her exactly no good, right now. "I've told you everything, Brother. That fool didn't know what he was getting into, when he took my powers."

" _All_ of your powers," her Brother corrected. His eyes were narrowed in thought. "Have you been able to perform Jinzen, even for a moment?"

Jinzen. The act of communicating with one's Zanpakutō in their Inner World. Rukia had tried, the very moment she was placed in this cell. She could enter her Inner World, however, the mountains and snowy valleys were gone. There was nothing left but for an endless expanse of water. She still didn't know, what that meant. Why her Inner World had changed to a featureless ocean. She _did_ know one thing, however.

Sode no Shirayuki was gone.

"...Sode no Shirayuki is not in my soul, Brother. Th-" Rukia couldn't stop herself from choking up, her voice cracking. It still _hurt_. "There's nothing left of her. Just emptiness."

Her Brother was silent, staring down at her with his arms crossed. One hand slowly moving down, a finger tapping the hilt of his own Zanpakutō. Rukia didn't know if he realized he was doing it. She knew what he was thinking, though. How he would act, if his own Zanpakutō was taken from him. To never have that voice whisper in his mind. To feel as if part of his _soul_ was gone. She knew the feeling, all too well, now. Part of her doubted that hole would ever be filled. How could it? You didn't get a second chance.

You didn't get another blade. Another part of your very being, that was with you from the moment you were born, to the moment you died.

"I see." Finally speaking again, Byakuya let his hands drop. He shook his head, minutely. "I will need to continue working with the boy, then. If he is to have your Zanpakutō, I will be certain that he takes proper care of it. Until such a time as we can return it to you."

"Brother?" Rukia blinked, staring at her sibling. What was he...? "Are you...are you trying to keep Ichigo alive, too?"

Byakuya nodded, slightly. "He possess your Zanpakutō, Rukia. I will not see something so precious to you destroyed. Until, and unless, Central 46 decrees it must be so." If he noticed her wince or not, he didn't show it. No. He simply turned to walk from the room. He stopped, when reaching the door. His eyes turned back towards her, deadly serious. "Until that time, the _both_ of you are under the protection of the Kuchiki Clan."

With that, he left. Rukia was alone again.

Perhaps, though, not as alone as she had thought.

* * *

 **AN: ...I'm making a habit of Byakuya leaving the room with parting shots. Ah well.**

 **Anyhoo, apologies about this. I've probably gone through a dozen or more revisions on this chapter before I was satisfied with it. Toss in work killing all desire to _do_ anything and needing to focus on my SV stuff and...yeah. But we're here now.**

 **I will note, though:**

 **There is one major change from the second version of this story, and for that matter, the original challenge that spawned this idea in the first place. _Rukia will not get Sode no Shirayuki_ _back._ It is not a spoiler to say this. Unlike in the previous versions, I will not be going the route of 'they can use each other's blades'. I won't comment on Zangetsu (other than to say Rukia isn't getting _him_ either), but I will say that.**

 **Rukia will not get her sword back. Shirayuki is _Ichigo's_ ****Zanpakutō now. For better or worse.  
**

 **Where does that leave Rukia, then? Well, that _will_ be a spoiler.**

 **(another thing to note: Rukia is my favorite character, other than Senna, in Bleach. I'm not bashing her at all here. However, one of the reasons this went through so many revisions was coming up with a justification for why Shirayuki would leave her for Ichigo.**

 **What I came up with is a logical extrapolation of Rukia's actions after Kaien died, viewed through the flashbacks, her fight with the Espada!Kaien, and the** **Zanpakutō Arc.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

To know Kisuke Urahara, one had to know his many masks. The crazy shopkeeper. The perverted man. Madness incarnate, in every thing he created. A kind mentor, who was unafraid to take out the claws if it helped his students. The kind of man you always wanted in your corner. And the kind of man you could never really trust. Because, in the end, you never could really _know_ Kisuke Urahara. No one, truly, knew the man behind the mask. Some just...knew him a bit better.

One of those people, Yoruichi Shihōin, stared at the man as he paced back and forth. Behind her, three teenage humans looked curiously over her shoulder. Well. Two of them were curious, and one looked as if he was ready to burn Urahara alive with his gaze. Considering it was the Quincy, that was probably to be expected.

"Kisuke," Yoruichi idly called out, her voice bored. This was nothing new, to her. "You going to talk to them?"

Orihime Inoue and Chad Sado looked curiously at the woman when she spoke. Uryu Ishida only continued looking annoyed at even being there. He had only agreed to this as, unlike the other two, he was good enough at energy sensory abilities to know that Ichigo wasn't in Karakura. And had been there when the Substitute had been dragged off in the first place. It was a strange mix of guilt and annoyance that had him here.

All three teenagers, regardless of feelings, turned to stare when Kisuke stopped pacing. The former Captain pulling his hat down, just enough to shadow his eyes when he spoke.

"Welcome to my humble shop!" And promptly ruined any sense of 'drama' when he put on his crazy shopkeeper mask. A wide grin crossed his lips, at the gobsmacked look on the teenagers. "What, are you surprised by everything? Didn't Yoruichi tell you-"

Before he could get much further, the woman in question flashed behind him, and cuffed the man in the back of the head. "Enough of that, Kisuke. We both know there isn't time for the shopkeeper act. Not anymore."

Kisuke frowned at her, though he didn't deny the point. "Right. Well, you three, I need you to follow me then." The scientist waved a hand at the teenagers, before gesturing towards the back of his shop with his fan. "This way, please."

Orihime gave him a weak smile as she walked past. A question on her lips...before she shook her head, and continued on. Sighing softly, Kisuke followed behind the group, until they reached the ladder. At which point he pushed his way to the front and opened the hatch leading into the training room. He, of course, just jumped straight down. If Yoruichi wanted him to be serious, he would be serious. The humans watched that warily. They weren't that durable- possibly excepting Chad -and had to go the long way down,with Yoruichi making sure they didn't fall.

"I'd say 'welcome to my training ground' but Yoruichi is right," Kisuke smiled grimly, looking over at the teens when they reached ground level. His gray eyes glinting like flints, beneath the shadow of his hat. "Ichigo doesn't have any idea what he got into, this time. I wasn't expecting this to happen or I would have intervened before it could."

What was left unsaid, was that he would have taken equally large risks doing so. The Soul Society _tolerated_ him. If they really wanted him dead, or if he really gave them a reason to, they would send a team. He didn't need that, especially as Aizen would have been on any such team. His 'experience against the Traitor' made that something that was bound to happen.

 _Still, this is far from ideal. Ichigo...you've done more than I expected, and I expected a lot out of you._

Shaking his head, Kisuke drug his way out of the past. One of the humans, the tall Mexican boy, had raised a hand. Kisuke nodded, allowing the barest of real smiles to cross his lips. "Hmm?"

"What happened to Ichigo?" Chad's deep voice rumbled out. A simple question, and one he didn't follow up with anything else. A man of few words, that one.

Beside him, Orihime nodded her head vigorously. Worriedly biting her lip, she looked hopefully at the scientist, as if he could fix things on his own. "Ichigo never came to class today...we're worried about him! Miss Yoruichi wouldn't tell us anything, other than that we needed to talk to you..."

When all eyes turned to him, as the only one who hadn't spoken, Uryu Ishida grimaced.

"I just want to know why I had to come along," the Quincy spoke, pushing his glasses up. "I am not Kurosaki's friend."

Kisuke looked between the group, and waved his fan at each one in the order they had spoken:

"I can explain why Ichigo isn't here, Mr. Sado."

"I wouldn't worry too much about Ichigo. He isn't in any life-threatening danger. Yet."

"Deny it all you want, I know you are his friend, Ishida!" that last one included a wide grin as Uryu glared daggers at the former Captain.

"I am _not_ his friend." The Quincy tried to deny it, though no one listened to him. Why would they?

It was certain that Kisuke wouldn't, as he waved at Yoruichi instead. "We brought you here to train. You see, I can't go back to the Soul Society myself. I know that you want to save Ichigo, though, so I'm giving _you_ all the chance to do that. Yoruichi is just looking you all over, first."

While Kisuke smiled at them, Yoruichi stepped forward to take his place. For this part, at least.

She looked over the three teens, frowning as she scanned their unique powers. Chad was the easiest, in a way. Raw power with a hint of Hollow, buried beneath. He was _strong_...but untrained. It would take a lot of training and experience to unlock his potential. Orihime was different. She seemed to have full access to her powers, though Yoruichi couldn't make heads or tails of what exactly it _was_. It wasn't Quincy, it wasn't Shinigami, it wasn't even Hollow. It was just very, very strange.

Uryu was the easiest to read, even if he shot his head up and turned his glare on the cat-woman when she scanned him. "What do you think you're doing?"

The Quincy boy's powers were fully accessed. He didn't need any training in how to _use_ his abilities. The incident with the Hollow Bait had proven that rather easily. His issue was lack of raw power _and_ technique. By definition, a Quincy had less raw spiritual power to work with than a Shinigami, as they drew their power from the environment around them. Thus, though innate abilities _did_ have an effect, a Quincy's power was highly reliant on how well they could channel ambient energy into their bow.

Uryu Ishida was not a fully trained Quincy. Not by a _long_ shot. He was certainly capable of taking down the average Hollow, but against even a novice Shinigami he would lose. Renji had beaten him with most of his powers sealed, and done it easily. If Renji hadn't been fighting with a hand behind his back...well. It didn't need mentioning.

"Hmm." Humming in thought, Yoruchi turned her gaze up to the 'sky'. Painted blue and white stared down on her, simulating the outside. It was just like home. She was already getting a nostalgia kick, just thinking about it. "Chad, Orihime, head with Kisuke. He'll help you train your powers."

Turning her head down, the cat-woman _grinned_ at the angry look the Quincy was sending her way. "You...you're with me, Quincy-boy."

"Wait, you're going to train us?" Orihime asked, with a shocked look on her pretty face. She stared at Kisuke, who gave her a little wave of his fan in response. "N-not that I mean anything by that, Mr. Urahara! I'm just surprised!"

"Hmm," was all Chad said, as he moved to Kisuke.

Said shopkeeper grinned at Orihime, "Yep! We know you're Ichigo's friends, and right now? As I said, I can't do anything myself." It burned, even if he wouldn't show it, to admit that. However, Kisuke couldn't go back to the Soul Society. Not even for this. "If we want to save Ichigo _and_ Rukia, that will need the three of you. You have to go save him, not us."

Orihime nodded. An entirely out of place- yet strangely fitting -determined turn to her lips, as she replied. "Right! We'll save them!"

"Ichigo and Rukia are our friends," Chad spoke, slowly and determinedly. He moved, just enough to let Orihime stand beside him. "He would do the same for us."

That was all that needed to be said, really. Ichigo would do the same for them. It was never a question, once they realized they had powers, that Orihime and Chad would use them to help Ichigo. Kisuke recognized that in them. The same kind of comradery and determination found in the greatest of Shinigami. He was proud already, and he hadn't even started training them.

...so what, if he had chosen this route specifically so he could study their powers. _Especially_ Orihime's almost divine abilities.

 _What can I say? I've never encountered something quite like her, from what little I've seen. I need to know more. Maybe she can even destroy...no. That's for later._

While that group walked off, Uryu moved to leave. Yoruichi didn't move at all, settling for yelling at his retreating back. "Where do you think _you're_ going, Quincy?"

Uryu turned around, glaring behind his glasses. His dark eyes narrowed into flinty slits. "Away from here. I want to defeat the Shinigami, more than you could ever know. I have no desire to train with anyone else to do so." Pushing the lenses up his nose, the Quincy grit his teeth in frustration. "Certainly not with _another Shinigami_. You can't teach me anything. I'm fully capable of learning on my-"

The last part of his sentence ended in a very unflattering scream. Before Uryu could blink, he had been laid out on the hard dirt. Yoruichi, smugly smirking, _sat_ on his back. She shook her head, purple locks flowing around her face. Past her smug grin, the hint of _disappointment_ lingered in her eyes. In this boy for his inability to move, and in Ichigo for having so much difficulty. Uryu struggled underneath her, of course. The barest _hint_ of her true power was enough to put an end to that.

"Honestly, you Quincy are all the same." Yoruichi sighed in annoyance. She tapped her chin, keeping the pressure on the boy. "Your pride gets in the way of reality. You, your father...it doesn't matter. At least Ryuken can _back up_ his pride. You can't do that, Quincy-boy."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Uryu panted out beneath her, his breaths labored as he struggled against the _power_ pressing on him. Even Kurosaki hadn't matched this, when he fought the Menos.

Sighing again, Yoruichi released her grip. She remained firmly planted on his back, however, when she continued speaking. "That was the energy of, oh, the average Third Seat. Do you know the ranking system that Shinigami use?" Not giving the Quincy a chance to answer, the former Captain finally stood up. She stared at him, deathly serious, when he got to his feet. "A Third Seat is the third strongest member of a Squad. A Lieutenant, like Renji Abarai, is dozens of times stronger. At minimum." Holding up a hand, she waved it around to emphasize her next point. "And a Captain can handle all of the Lieutenant's on their own, if they're serious. The _average_ Captain. I'm not even talking about Kenpachi Zaraki, or the Head-Captain."

She was simplifying things, greatly. Kisuke, in the distance, twitched a little. Yoruichi showed no signs of caring. She was going to get her point across, if it killed her. Quincies and their _pride_. It was almost as bad as Ukitake.

"I'm not even talking about what Kido could do, either. Do you want to try against that?"

Uryu glared at her. His hands reached towards his cross, anger visible in his every movement. "Do you doubt my abilities that much, Shinigami?"

"Bakudo Number 1, Sai." Yoruichi dismissively waved a hand, snorting at the _stupidity_ of the Quincy before her.

A teenager who, promptly, fell to the ground as his hands were tied behind his back by invisible strands. Invisible to the naked eye. Uryu could see purple strands of energy rippling around his body as they held his arms together behind his back. Bonds that, no matter how he struggled, wouldn't break. Even attempting to tear away the energy supporting them failed. For ever bit of power he siphoned into his own body, double was added back in by Yoruichi. He couldn't get free. He wouldn't be released, until the woman ended the Kido all on her own.

With another dismissive wave of her hand.

"Still think I'm lying? That was a _low-level_ Bakudo. If you can't even get around that..." she trailed off, letting Uryu's brain do the rest.

And pride or not, he knew when he was beaten. His original plan had been to train with the glove his Grandfather had left him, despite knowing it would do more to _limit_ him than _aid_ him in the end. As, while it would help him in the short-term with channeling power, it would keep him from developing beyond that. His powers would plateau, because he could never remove the Sanrei Glove. It would kill him, as surely as if he actually died. His powers would be gone. Forever.

Perhaps...perhaps this woman was a way around that.

"Fine, say I let you train me," Uryu grumbled. He dusted himself off, _again_ , and stared hard at the dark-skinned Shinigami. "How can you possibly teach me anything? You aren't a Quincy."

Yoruichi grinned, "I know your father, Quincy-boy. I can't teach you any sort of Quincy techniques, but I _can_ teach you how to _use_ them. How Shinigami fight, and how you should fight them." Grin widening, the woman cracked her knuckles, and tilted her head to the side. Her yellow eyes _danced_ with amusement. "I haven't had this much fun in a _long_ time, so I hope you know what you're doing.~"

And somewhere, in the depths of his soul, Uryu felt a deep shudder go through his very being.

* * *

 **AN:** **I debated if I wanted to include anything with Ichigo and Shirayuki, but in the end, I figured that was a natural point to end the chapter. This will be one of the rare times I salvage a lot of old material. I debated with myself on if I wanted to do something with the old material or not...and, well, it's there. Might as well use what I can.**

 **I have cleaned it up and added a fair bit of _new_ stuff, however. Cleared things up here and there. Stuff like that.**

 **Next chapter should be almost entirely (if not entirely) new. Now that I have a better job (for my health) I think it won't take as long, either. I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things, writing-wise.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Renji Abari, for the first time in recent memory, found himself truly at a _loss_ on what he should be doing. Things had very quickly gone out of hand in ways that he had never anticipated. First, Rukia going missing on her first solo mission to the World of the Living. Then the request, from Central 46 itself, that he and the Captain go to retrieve her. He hadn't been comfortable with that, the idea that Rukia was a criminal. He still did it anyway, because if _anyone_ should bring her in, it should be _them_. Running into the Quincy had been annoying, but not difficult to deal with. But then... _but then_.

 _Damnit, how the hell did that brat take_ all _of her powers? It doesn't make any damn sense!_

Dealing with the Substitute should have been a piece of cake, even with his limiter on. It _had been_ , no matter his oversized hammer of a Zanpakutō. It was only when that blade turned out to be _Rukia's_ , that the orange-haired idiot managed to fight back. Renji believed he could beat the kid, without a limiter on. But the fact of the matter was, he still reeled over the fact he could use Rukia's blade in the first place. That was...

"Gah!" Renji threw his hands into the air, forcibly shaking his head to clear the errant thoughts. He wasn't a _thinker_ , he was a fighter. "You know what, screw this. I'm going to get some answers the old-fashioned way. I don't think the Captain will say no. He hates the kid too."

Decision made, Renji ceased his pacing and retrieved Zabimaru from where his blade had lain against the wall. The moment his hand lay upon the red hilt, the Shinigami felt a wave of _approval_ rush through him. It was enough to bring a fierce smirk to his tattooed face.

 _Damn right, Zabimaru. We're going to teach the brat a lesson and beat some answers out of him._

He wasn't quite at the point where he could hear his Zanpakutō's response, but he didn't need to. Renji felt Zabimaru practically shake in anticipation and that told him all he needed to know. There _was_ a reason he had started out in Squad 11. And it wasn't because of how he looked.

With Zabimaru in hand, the blade fully in-sync with his plan, Renji stepped free from his office. The odd Shinigami or two moving to their own duties _stared_ at him, confusion on their faces. Renji just rolled his eyes and walked right past them, ignoring how they glanced at the tight grip he had on his blade. His reputation had never faded. The hot-headed kid from Rukon who transferred from Zaraki's squad. He never really cared about what people thought, never had, so that wasn't a problem. Besides...right now, all his attention was on Rukia anyway. Who cared what the other members of the Squad thought. They could go fuck themselves.

Only two people held any interest to Renji right now, and he suspected that both of them would be together.

 _I'm going to get some answers out of you, Substitute. I don't care what I have to do._

 _-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

It wasn't as if it took much time for Renji to reach his destination, in the grand scheme of things. As Rukia was being held in the Squad 6 barracks, so too was the Substitute. They were just being held on opposing sides of the building, to prevent any potential escapes. Renji didn't think Rukia would even bother trying...but he didn't put it past the brat. So the orange-haired idiot was being held right beside the Captain's office, where he couldn't possibly escape even if he wanted. The highest-security part of their barracks.

Where the redhead saw Captain Kuchiki standing, outside the brat's room, looking at him.

"Renji. I see I was not mistaken in sensing your approach." Captain Kuchiki's smooth voice was quick to speak, a single eyebrow rising on his slim face. The noble had his hand on his own Zanpakutō, though it was hardly a ready position. "What business do you have with the boy? He is none of your concern, as I have been keeping him under constant observation."

Sucking in a breath, Renji shook his head. "I'm not here to _watch_ him, Captain. I want to spar with him."

"Hm." Eyebrow climbing yet higher, the Captain _stared_ at Renji. His slate-grey eyes appraising the man before him. "You are aware the boy is our prisoner? To allow you a challenge would be allowing him to have Rukia's blade back, as I could not risk him acquiring yet a further blade. To do so would be giving the boy the opportunity to attempt an escape, if not an attempt to take Rukia with him." Continuing the staredown, Captain Kuchiki's voice smoothed even further, growing deeper with each word. "You are asking me permission to fight a prisoner, for the sake of what? Your pride? Your honor? To avenge Rukia?"

 _He saw right through me. Heh. I'm not even surprised._

Renji's only response, at first, was to hold Zabimaru up. He didn't look directly at his Captain, but rather, at his blade. Zabimaru thrummed in his head with the desire to match against Sode no Shirayuki. To figure out, the only way he knew how, an answer to the question. The question of how and why Rukia's blade, her very _soul_ , would go to that boy. Renji believed that the Substitute had forced Sode no Shirayuki into it. He couldn't, wouldn't, comprehend a world where Rukia's Zanpakutō would betray her like that. If Zabimaru had done something like that...

Well. He'd probably lose himself in the rage and loss. In the fact he would never, ever, reach where his goal sat above him. In front of him, at this very moment.

"I want to know why Rukia's Zanpakutō left her." Renji finally replied, his own voice low with simmering anger. He knew better than to try and hide anything from _this_ man. "I want to fight that idiot again, and figure out how he uses Rukia's power. I'm from the Eleventh, Captain. The best way to know someone is to cross blades with them...sir!"

Captain Kuchiki continued to stare. His expression completely unreadable as ever. Renji felt a line of sweat trickle down his neck, as every bit of his resolve was being tested. Damnit! Captain Kuchiki didn't even need to draw his blade or _move_ , and he could still do something like this. Even after all his training and time around the man, Renji was still the same boy who first saw him at the Academy. It _pissed him off_ something fierce, too.

He wanted to beat this man, not cower before him.

"I will allow this." The Captain finally spoke up, his voice toneless and clear. He spun on his heel, scarf and Haori fluttering with the motion. "Come, Renji. We will retrieve Rukia's blade and bring it to the boy."

"Y-yes sir!" Renji, despite himself, cursed that stutter. _I didn't expect him to actually agree to this! What's gotten into the Captain? First he doesn't kill the boy, then he lets me spar with the kid? What are you planning, Captain?_

Renji had no way of knowing, of course, what Byakuya Kuchiki was thinking. He had no way of knowing that the Captain was equally as curious as to the details of how Ichigo Kurosaki had gained Rukia's blade.

After all...there had been not a single sign of Kurosaki forcing Sode no Shirayuki to serve him. No Zanpakutō could be forced into revealing a name, nor into allowing a Shikai. For the Substitute to use Rukia's blade in such a way, there was only one answer. That was never in question. The true questions, then, were the how and the why. How the blade had come into his possession, why it had allowed him to use her Shikai, and how they could fix it. For, in the end, only one thing was truly clear.

Sode no Shirayuki had chosen the Kurosaki boy as her master.

* * *

 _...why do I feel like someone is pounding on my head?_

Ichigo Kurosaki let out a low groan, as he opened his eyes. He rubbed at his face, slowly sitting up and looking for the source of the noise he had heard. All he saw, blurry with sleep, was a flash of red. And something...flying...

 _bonk_

Slowly toppling back over onto his bed, Ichigo fell as if he were a dummy with its strings cut. In the time it took for him to register that the flash of red had been Sode no Shirayuki's hilt, he was already jumping back up, face red with anger and the mark of the impact. "Alright, who the hell-" Voice trailing off, Ichigo looked down at the sword in his hand. At the familiar and _welcome_ weight of Sode no Shirayuki. "Wait a second. Why do I...?"

A sharp laugh drew his attention away from the comforting presence of _his_ Zanpakutō _._ "You're a slow one, ain'tcha? Didn't see me until I threw the sword at you. How the hell you weren't killed by a Hollow is beyond me."

Eyes narrowing in anger once more, Ichigo saw _another_ flash of red. Renji Abari, staring at him with a smug smirk on his lips. He held his own Zanpakutō in a loose grip by his side, and behind him, stood Byakuya Kuchiki. The two people who had dragged him into Soul Society in the first place, and the two people who were most responsible for his current situation. Ichigo may have cooled down a little since he had ended up here, but that didn't mean he wasn't still annoyed by those two.

 _"They are Rukia's closest companions, Ichigo..."_ Sode no Shirayuki whispered in his head. Her voice, cool and soft, serving to quench the fire behind his eyes. _"I admit to being angry with them, however, they must have had a reason. Renji, at the least, I am certain would have never agreed to this without a reason. I can see that now."_

Though, despite her words, Ichigo could still feel her lingering annoyance at how he had insulted her in the World of the Living. _"Yeah yeah...why'd they give you back to me, though? I can just run away now."_

 _"Would you dare leave without Rukia?"_ The Zanpakutō gently chided him, and Ichigo found himself unable to deny that point.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Ichigo returned his attention to the pair before him. "So, any particular reason you gave me back my sword? I thought I was the prisoner here."

 _"Your_ sword?" Renji was instantly on guard, his smirk vanishing. His Zanpakutō, Zabimaru, practically shook in his grip. "That's _Rukia's_ sword, you bastard! What gives you the right to call it your sword? You stole it from her, you didn't do a _damn_ thing to earn that blade!"

Kuchiki was curiously quiet, merely raising an eyebrow at the words he heard from the others in the room.

As for Ichigo? He snorted. "First off, Shirayuki is a _she_ , not an 'it'." A thrum of warm approval rang in his mind, prompting the smallest of smiles to cross his face. "Second, _she_ was the one to talk to me. I didn't steal anything. If you want to be angry at anyone, be angry at the Hollow that got us into this situation. I mean, if it hadn't decided to come after my family, I'd never have even met Rukia!"

Ichigo got the strangest feeling that Kuchiki approved of his words, at least some of them. The Captain had relaxed his posture, if only a little, and it showed. If only in contrast to Renji, who was rapidly turning the same shade as his hair. Someone was very clearly _not_ happy.

"You expect me to believe that Rukia's Zanpakutō, her own soul, chose you over going back to her? What the hell kind of fool do you take me for, huh?" Renji stalked forward, his free hand lashing out to drag Ichigo up by the hem of his white robe. He brought his face down, uncomfortably close, his eyes narrowed into flints. "Why the _hell_ would Rukia's Zanpakutō choose _some random brat_ over her own partner?"

Turning his head away in annoyance, Ichigo shrugged. "She told me why, but I'm not telling _you_ that. I'm not going to betray _my_ partner like that. If you want to know, why don't you ask her yourself? Or maybe ask Rukia?"

 _Sorry, Rukia, but he's seriously starting to piss me off. I'm not going to just tell him what Shirayuki told me. I won't do that to her._

 _"...Ichigo, I..."_ Sode no Shirayuki sucked in a steadying breath, and Ichigo got the impression of a watery smile on her face. _"Thank you. Thank you for trusting me, and not telling my secrets. You don't understand how much that means to me."_ _  
_

 _"No problem, Shirayuki. You're my partner now, and I'll protect you. With my life, if I have to."_

Outside that inner conversation, Renji was practically spitting fire. Ichigo figured he was pushing the man's buttons, but he wasn't in the mood to really care right now. Maybe in better circumstances, since Renji didn't seem to be _that_ bad of a guy. More like someone who was...angry on Rukia's behalf. Well, Shirayuki had said they were best friends. It was only that feeling, really, that kept Ichigo from refusing to talk to him at all.

It wasn't enough to get rid of the desire to kick his ass, though.

"How do you expect me to ask a Zanpakutō a question like that without..."

Before Renji could build up any more steam, Kuchiki coughed lightly. Renji _instantly_ dropped Ichigo and backed away, his face twisting into a scowl that wouldn't have looked out of place on the teenager he had just been gripping. As for Kuchiki, he walked fully into the room himself, his regal bearing not once shifting. Slate-grey eyes glanced over at Ichigo, before returning to Renji.

"Renji." Kuchiki spoke just one word, and instantly, the redhead was at full attention. "I understand your frustration, and feel much the same myself. However, I will remind you that the boy is under the protection of the Kuchiki Clan. I will allow your spar, I will _not_ allow you to deliberately harm him in his cell. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Captain." Renji ground out, looking away with the scowl refusing to leave his face.

For his part, Ichigo just blinked, and looked down at where Sode no Shirayuki rested in his hand. "Wait a second. A spar? Is _that_ why you gave me Shirayuki back?" Turning his gaze back up to the Captain, the teenager scowled himself. "I didn't think you'd give her back for the hell of it, but why would pineapple hair over there want to spar with me? Didn't I already kick his ass?"

Renji grit his teeth loudly enough for it to be heard across the room, while Kuchiki merely raised an eyebrow. "I will ignore your inappropriate language for the moment, boy. To answer your question, Renji desires to spar with you to learn more of how you came to have my sister's blade." Eyes shifting, if only for a moment, to the blade in Ichigo's hand...Kuchiki continued. "I find myself curious for the same, as you already know. You have made it abundantly clear you have no intention of sharing the truth with us, as such, I am allowing my Lieutenant his wish. However."

Kuchiki held up his hand, the barest hint of energy glowing around it. "You will not find such a duel easy. Our powers were limited to a bare twenty-percent of their true potential, last you fought us. No matter what power you displayed in the World of the Living, you will not find a battle here to be the same."

 _"...eighty percent of his power was sealed?"_ Ichigo wished he could go back into his Inner World, because he wanted to talk to Sode no Shirayuki face-to-face now. _"You've gotta be kidding me! I barely stood a chance before you told me your name!"_

 _"I'm afraid he is telling the truth, Ichigo."_ Sode no Shirayuki at least sounded remorseful, if determined. Cold steel was in her voice. _"However, I did not know the true extent that their powers were sealed. Rukia was not of a rank where that was necessary for her."_ She paused, if only for a second, before continuing with more determination. _"You, however, are far more powerful than she ever was. I am proud to be your Zanpakutō. We will not lose."_

Ichigo wasn't certain if Sode no Shirayuki was always like that, or if he was rubbing off on her. He decided that he didn't care. The teenager just let a confident smirk cross his lips, as he got to his feet. "So what? If he was weaker in the World of the Living, that just means I need to work harder to kick his ass this time." Ignoring the sputtered protests from Renji, Ichigo looked Kuchiki straight in the eye.

He still didn't like the man, not one bit, with his claims that he would execute his sister. But he at least _respected_ that the man was sticking his own neck out for him. Somehow, he got the feeling that Kuchiki wasn't any happier about the situation than he was. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill Ichigo and be done with it. If he were so ready to kill Rukia...why would he leave the person who got her in this situation alive? No. Ichigo wasn't as stupid as people thought he was, and there was something going on here he wasn't seeing.

"Tell you what. If Renji can beat me, and _if_ Shirayuki is okay with it, I'll do my best to explain why she came to me. Other than that, I don't know a damn thing about how I was able to use her Shikai."

Kuchiki stared at Ichigo silently, before inclining his head a bare centimeter or two. It was enough. "Very well. Come, I will bring you to the training ground."

Spinning on his heel, the Captain marched out of the room. He was followed by a visually fuming Lieutenant, and a thoughtful 'prisoner'. Ichigo wasn't entirely sure if he could beat Renji, and if this was going to be the start of training or something like that. But he did know one thing...

 _"I'm going to get Rukia out of here. I want you to be able to tell her, yourself, how you feel. I promise you Shirayuki. Even if I have to use this chance to get stronger, I'll get her out. I owe her and I'll be damned if I let a friend die like that."_

 _"...thank you, Ichigo."_

* * *

 **AN: Fickle muse is fickle. At this point, I've given up guessing on when it will let me write something.**

 **That being said, hopefully this is a good chapter. I debated having the actual spar in here, but decided against it, for now. That'll be the next one...which hopefully shouldn't take near as much time to write .**


End file.
